Ethics & Public Policy Center

The Real Meaning of Genetics

For years, commentators and experts have looked to the genetic future with fear and trembling or euphoria and optimism. But in fact, the significance of the genetic age will likely be more subtle, if no less profound, than the dream and nightmare of genetic engineering. Eric Cohen provides an ethical overview of modern genetics—looking at what it means for human self-understanding, for therapy and cures, and for how we see life, death, and procreation.